Wednesday, 5 September 2018

DAY ONE – PRODUCTION & TRADE

11:00-12:00 Session 1Breakthroughs in breeding

Advances in breeding technology mean that new and better varieties are being developed faster. We look at some of the key breakthroughs and ask what they mean for the future of the global fresh produce business? How can suppliers and retailers ensure they have access to the best IP?

Asia’s insatiable demand for fresh produce is opening doors for new supply countries with a number of eastern European countries now working to gain a foothold in the region. We look at some of the countries and companies seeking to grow their presence in Asia, including the Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Moldova.

The use of packaging in fresh produce has come under pressure as the ‘war on waste’ gathers momentum. How can packaging justify its role? What kind of sustainable packaging solutions are on offer?

Fabio Zoboli, Infia (Italy)Gilad Sadan, Navi Co Global (Australia)

15:00-16:00 Session 3Precision grading: packed to perfection

Packing and grading systems are evolving rapidly to deliver produce packed to ever-higher quality standards. Some of the leading companies in the field share the latest advances with a particular focus on sorting internal quality.

Friday, 7 September 2018

DAY THREE – MARKETING

11:00-12:00 Session 1Marketing for occasions

Fresh produce suppliers and retailers worldwide are tuning into the marketing opportunities presented by a wide range of occasions and events – be it Valentine’s Day, Singles’ Day, Halloween or back-to-school. Case studies look at some of the produce possibilities and potential.

Hector Zhang, Tmall (China)

13:00-14:00 Session 2Fresh opportunities in food service

‘Eating out’ is very much ‘in’ across global markets while new food delivery services are blurring the line between retail and foodservice. What opportunities are there for fresh produce marketers in the rapidly evolving foodservice space? How can suppliers adapt their product offering to tap into new and fast-growing segments of the foodservice sector?

For brands thinking of entering the Asian market, or hoping to solidify their place, there might be keys to success in cultural awareness. With the help of an expert we explore strategies for effectively positioning your brand within the Asian market.

The 4th Cool Logistics Asia will be held alongside ASIA FRUIT LOGISTICA in Hong Kong.The event will consist of a series of practical workshops including analyses and case studies in perishable logistics.

Participation is free for all visitors and exhibitors.

Simultaneous translation English - Mandarin - Japanese - Korean

Wednesday, 5 September 2018

Fresh produce represents an important section of the global transportation of perishable products. The lion’s share of fresh produce is shipped by sea, primarily in containers. But other transport modes cannot be ignored. How long will the love affair last and can for example airfreight and rail stand up to the challenges of modern e-commerce driven distribution today and in the future?

Thursday, 6 September 2018

MAXIMISING COLD CHAIN INVESTMENTS Fresh produce requires not just optimal temperature control from the moment it is packed, but right through the perishable supply chain and it various handling stages. This involves a more clearly defined cold chain awareness on all fronts and investment strategies that can combine adequate fixed and or flexible asset deployment, infrastructure as well as soft skills.

10:35-11:00 State of the container shipping industry – current and new challenges The need for coldchain efficiency and investment – an ocean carrier’s perspective. How can technological developments become the catalysts of change?

Friday, 7 September 2018

CHANGING PRIORITIES IN DISTRIBUTION, PROCCESSING AND TRANSPORT PACKAGINGWaste reduction is a critical issue for fresh produce. With 30 per cent of food being wasted in the supply chain there is an urgent need to combat waste immediately at the post- harvest stage through better production planning, transport technology and distribution.

The third edition of Smart Horticulture Asia will be structured as an additional show floor-based forum for Information Management, Standards and Technology.

Participation is free for all visitors and exhibitors.

Simultaneous translation English - Mandarin - Japanese - Korean

Wednesday, 5 September 2018

DAY ONE: Blockchain: opportunity or threat?Blockchain is seen as the future for supply chain (information) management in the fruit & vegetable industry. We look at both opportunities and challenges blockchain brings to horticulture.

The use of blockchain technology to create transparency across information management is revolutionary. A trusted connection with shared value for all ecosystem participants in the supply chain is directly applicable to the issues of the food industry today. How does this work? We will take a look at the IBM Food Trust solution and demonstrate practical examples of traceability at work. We will also explore how we are improving food transparency and efficiency with partners like Walmart, Dole, Kroger, and more.

Fred Lam, marketing leader, IBM Food Trust (Asia)

14:45-15.15 Blockchain: solution or technology?

In the world of fresh produce, blockchain is often seen as the new oil for the supply chain, making it more secure and trustworthy. But is that really true? What can blockchain bring to the industry and what does it mean for your operations and business?

Smart Contracts is one of the opportunities blockchain brings to the market. The Reterms' use case which is about simplifying grocery supplier terms using shared services and marketplace platforms (which include payment solutions).This shared service platform will power a marketplace platform where a retail community can review and settle their account payable positions using solutions from FinTech partners. What does this mean for trade?

Barry Shalley, Co-founder, Reterms.

15.45-16.15No common data standards, no blockchain

The term Blockchain is used as a general-purpose magic word that can solve every organisation's problems. The term blockchain however applies to public cryptocurrency solutions whilst the use of this technology in access-controlled supply chain settings is more generally described as Distributed Ledger Technology (or DLT). For DLT to work, like any other supply chain system, it's essential to agree on which data fields and definition standards will be used, common business rules and agreed processes. That's why Microsoft and IBM and a range of other DLT providers have partnered with GS1 to leverage global standards in their blockchain in their DLT applications.

Technology like blockchain are disruptive for a lot of industries. But what will the impact be for companies in the fresh supply chain. For growers? For traders? For service providers? And what are the first steps your company should make in this journey to a next generation company?

Dirk Jan Kennes, Global Strategist Farm Inputs, Rabobank, Hong Kong

Thursday, 6 September 2018

DAY TWO: Robotics for horti: horti for roboticsMore and more robots are being developed for use in the greenhouse. But how far have we come with this development? Are these robots ready to be used in "the real world"? And are our crops ready for robots; i.e. can robots help the way we grow right now, or do we need to develop new plant structures and growing methods first?

Building a robot for greenhouse crops looks easy. All the technology is there so it should work, right? But often it doesn't. One of the reasons is that, for robots, working with a living object is different from working in a steady environment. Prof. Beardmaker elaborates on his experiences with robotics in Horticulture and do's and don'ts in this environment.

Josse De Baerdemaeker, Division of Mechatronics, Biostatistics and Sensors (MeBioS) University of Leuven, Belgium

14.45-15.15Strawberry: let's pick it!

Octinion is one of the startup companies working on one of the first robots for picking strawberries. How far has this development come? What will it mean for growers? And for the crop?

Tom Coen, CEO Octinion bvba, Belgium

15.15-15.45Tomato picking: disrupting the cultivation

Panasonic Corporation パナソニック株式会社 , the world's biggest producer of electronics, is working on a new robot that is designed to pick tomatoes in the greenhouse. Panasonic unveiled this autonomous tomato picker in Tokyo at the end of 2017. But is this robot ready for disrupting the cultivation? And if not: what more is needed to get there?

The Australian Centre for Field Robotics has been developing robotics and data analytic tools for agriculture. RIPPA™ is a production prototype for the vegetable growing industry and has been used in tree crops. The Digital FarmHand is a low budget robot for small scale farmers, and SwagBot has been used for the grazing livestock industry. But how far developed are these robots and when will they be market-ready?

Salah Sukkareih, professor of robotics and intelligent systems, University of Sydney/Australian Centre for Field Robotics (Australia)

Digital developments are changing our world. For the agriculture industry, this means that enabling an integrated, sustainable ecosystem–one that connects all information and companies across the food value chain–is more important than ever before. Key to transforming the food value chain in the agriculture industry is data. Advanced analytics tools and techniques like machine learning and streamed analytics are now accessible to small or big players to integrate data from various systems across the entire ecosystem. J. Brouwer of Microsoft is sharing his vision on farming in the digital world.

Every person in the world should be able to know if the products they use are genuine or not. Scantrust works on a unique concept to protect products and have invented a truly secure mobile product authentication solution, so brand owners can fight counterfeiting and restore trust. But can it also give you insights on the supply chain or make o2o communications for shopper engagement possible.

Tobias Kars, VP Product Management, Scantrust, Shanghai, China

14.45-15.15Together we can farm smarter: using data and state-of-the-art technologies to fuel Growth on small- and medium-size farms

Smart Yields connects farmers, agricultural researchers and their communities through crowd-sourced data gathered from a network of integrated sensors that measure everything from soil health to inputs such as water, energy and nutrients in real time. In turn, these users tap into a vast wealth of local, regional and national knowledge to increase productivity, yield, and revenue. Learn how these new technologies are revolutionizing the way we plant, grow, process and eat food worldwide.

Vincent Kimura, CEO & Founder, SMART YIELDS, Hawaii, USA

15.15-15.45Data-driven growing: why, how and what's next...

Data is the big discussion point across the industry but how useful is it? How will data increase grower yields, cut costs, ensure compliance with legislation and support a more sustainable growing environment? How will data and AI create autonomous farms of the future? How do “new” technologies like open source, API’s and Virtual Labs improve the useability? And what is next?